The present exemplary embodiment relates to an assured snap enclosure apparatus and improvement therefrom. It finds particular application in conjunction with arthropod barriers to interrupt the route of travel and to prevent access by an arthropod to structures where they are not wanted, and will be described with particular reference thereto. The purpose of the disclosure is to repel (or to destroy) arthropods such as insects, and spiders that crawl along elongated structures to get from one point to another. However, this disclosure is more particularly adapted to prevent ants from accessing nectar from hummingbird feeders. It is to be appreciated that the present exemplary embodiment is also amenable to other like applications.
It should be appreciated that the scope and content of the prior art pertains to the inventions described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,622 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,416 which are hereinafter incorporated by reference. This disclosure particularly improves on the AntGuard® product that is currently sold and marketed by LineGuard, Inc. based in Elyria, Ohio. The AntGuard® product relates to an ant preventer for hummingbird feeders and comprises an outer housing having a solid end wall and a generally continuous side wall defining a cavity and an access opening axially opposite the solid end wall. This structure resembles an inverted cup. An inner shaft is disposed within the outer housing. The shaft and the sidewall share a common axis. The product has a top hook by which it is supported and a bottom hook used to support a feeder. An arthropod deterring ingredient is disposed within the cavity for creating an arthropod deterring environment therein. A baffle cap is also provided for covering the access opening about the outer housing and is moveable along the inner shaft to abuttingly engage the edge of the side wall or open the cavity.
However, the AntGuard® product has experienced moments of inefficiency due to associate forces and other natural environmental effects. Namely, the baffle cap freely moves between a closed position adjacent the access opening and an open position adjacent the mounting hook to allow for access to the cavity and the arthropod deterring ingredient disposed therein. The intended purpose of the baffle cap is to enclose the cavity during periods of non use and to open the cavity and expose the arthropod deterring ingredient while in use. However, wind and other environmental effects sometimes move the baffle cap along the inner shaft to close the distance to the outer housing thereby reducing the size of an aperture between the baffle cap and the outer housing. This allows arthropods to crawl over the aperture and to access the hummingbird feeder.
Therefore, for the foregoing reasons, there remains a need to prevent the wind and other environmental effects from repositioning the baffle cap from its intended resting position thereby reducing the size of the aperture while the AntGuard® product is in use.